Fatherhood
by OrangeLlyan
Summary: As Tim's first evening as a father comes to a close, he shares a quiet moment with Gibbs, reflecting on fathers, fatherhood and family. Tag to Ready or Not. Expanded to include chapters from Gibbs and Delilah's perspectives.
1. Tim

_A/N – This is a tag to the season 15 episode_ Ready or Not _. I couldn't shake this image of Tim sharing a quiet moment with Gibbs after the birth of his children. It was touched on slightly in the first two episodes that Tim and Gibbs now share a deeper bond because of their shared experiences in Paraguay. This is a short exploration of that as Tim reflects on family and fatherhood._

* * *

He smiled as he looked down at the tiny bundle, swaddled in pink, currently devouring a bottle of formula. Apparently being born was hungry work.

And not for the first time today, he felt a strange, almost surreal, feeling. Seven and a half months wasn't enough time to prepare anyone for the arrival of not one but two tiny humans that were now fully dependent on himself and Delilah. Granted the second tiny human of that equation was still a surprise and a week was not enough time to adjust to the fact that their family had doubled in a matter of hours.

But here he was, holding _his daughter_ , trying to memorize her face. She had Delilah's eyes and maybe her nose. But Morgan had his ears.

He glanced at Delilah. She was asleep and had been for some time.

Delilah was lucky that her paralysis was low enough on her spine that she still had some feeling in her legs and hips; she only lacked the strength and muscle control to walk. But over the course of her pregnancy, she had enough sensation with the babies that the doctors felt she could opt for a natural birth instead of a C-section which would have been a far more difficult recovery given her reliance on a chair to get around.

He marveled at her strength to endure the birthing process, not once but twice in short order. From the way she nearly crushed his hand, he could only begin to imagine how painful it had been for her, even with the epidural and the decreased sensation from her paralysis. But unlike Jimmy, he had emerged unscathed with all the bones in his hand intact.

At first, it reminded him uncomfortably of Paraguay. Someone he loved was enduring pain and there was nothing he could do but watch and do his best to offer support. But those thoughts were immediately banished by the look of pure joy on Delilah's face when they heard their son's first cries and as the nurses placed their son on her chest. Even the onset of their daughter's birth and the subsequent pain hadn't been enough to wipe the smile from her face.

Suddenly he heard a shoe shuffle at the door.

He glanced up and saw Gibbs cautiously peering into their room. He had stayed a little while to visit but when their room grew too crowded with the addition of Jimmy and Ducky, he slipped off to deal with the aftermath of the hostage situation downstairs. He wasn't surprised to see that Gibbs had returned now that the crowd had gone although he did wonder how late it was.

He had long since lost track of time. The day had become one long blur. It was late enough that the only light came from a small lamp in the corner and whatever light spilled in from the hall. The hustle of the daytime had been replaced with the soft, muffled voices of the nurses in the hall. It was past visiting hours, which obviously didn't stop Gibbs. But then again, Gibbs was family and he was welcome any time.

"You can come in, Gibbs," he said softly.

Gibbs stepped into the dim hospital room. He glanced towards Delilah questioningly.

He found the clock in the room. It was almost ten o'clock.

"She's been out for a little while," he replied. "I'm actually surprised she managed to stay awake so long."

"Yeah," Gibbs said. "Given your day, I'm surprised you're still awake. Bishop mentioned something about flugendorfs, whatever those are."

Blinking, he recalled the conversation from that morning. It felt like lifetime ago that they had discussed his sleepless night building another crib.

"I'm not sure either," he replied. "But I have three of them left over after I spent last night building a second crib. I read the instructions four times and still can't figure out where they go." Gibbs smiled. "I'm still running on adrenaline I think. Especially after the whole hostage situation."

Gibbs smiled as he took the seat next to him.

"I have your side arm," Gibbs said. He nodded. "And your clothes. But those are evidence. I'll hold onto your sidearm and you can pick it up when you have a chance." He nodded. "I figured you'd want this though."

He looked as Gibbs pulled out his shield. In his haste to get to Delilah, he had left it behind with his clothes that the nurse had bagged as evidence. He wasn't surprised. With everything that happened, he had been lucky to remember to grab his wallet and credentials.

"Thanks," he said as he motioned for Gibbs to set it on the tray since he had his hands full.

"She's beautiful," Gibbs said as he looked at the little girl.

"Yeah," he said, a smile reflexively forming at his lips. He'd been smiling a lot today.

"Delilah knows the inspiration for the name?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "We had a few minutes to talk before Abby went to get you. I told her about Morgan and that he had died. Dee met him when Abby brought her into the hospital." He looked at his daughter. "Has his family been notified yet?"

Gibbs nodded. He looked at Gibbs then at his daughter and for a moment he recalled her namesake. It was never easy talking to the family who had just lost a loved one. But he had been with Morgan when he died. He wanted them to know they had the man responsible for their loved one's death and that he hadn't been alone when he died.

"You want to talk to them?"

"Yeah. I was with him when he died. I'd like to say a few words," he said as he glanced at his daughter. Gibbs nodded, indicating that he would get the information for him. Suddenly John began to fuss. He looked down at Morgan then at the bassinet, wondering how he'd manage...

Gibbs squeezed his shoulder and smiled, seemingly reading his mind.

"I got him," Gibbs said as he stood up. Gibbs pulled off his suit coat and draped it over the back of the chair, then made his way to the bassinet where his son lay.

"There's a bottle next to the bassinet," he said relaxing.

He watched as Gibbs expertly scooped up the baby and the bottle and returned to the chair. Gibbs said a few calming words and soon John was happily eating.

"Thanks," he said. "Dee wants to breastfeed but with two, we're going to have to supplement with formula." Gibbs nodded, not taking his eyes off the little boy. "And I thought we were going to have our hands full with one."

Gibbs chuckled. "You gonna be able to manage?"

"Yeah," he replied. "We're going to be here at least through Saturday maybe Sunday. With the babies being early they want to make sure they're really ok to go home. And Delilah's doctors want to make sure that the pregnancy didn't affect her paralysis. So far things look ok but no one wants to take any chances."

He glanced at Delilah and smiled. She looked beautiful and serene as she slept. And not for the first time he marveled at her strength.

"Her mother and sister are going to be flying in next weekend," he continued. "My mom and sister are flying in on Wednesday. It's the earliest they could manage with the holiday."

"Still leaves a few days by yourselves," Gibbs said.

"Penny will be back in town on Sunday and she's already offered to come by to help," he replied. "Abby's going to pick up our go bags in the morning too so I won't have to leave. Ducky promised to bring us a plate of leftovers since he's skeptical that the hospital food will measure up to his turkey dinner." Gibbs smiled. "And once we get home, Abby and Bishop have already volunteered to drop off food so we won't have to cook. We'll be fine."

"Yeah," Gibbs said as he looked down at the little boy. "You will."

"But you're more than welcome to stop by any time. We won't turn down any visitors who want to help," he said. Gibbs nodded and he caught the hint of a smile at his lips.

They fell into a comfortable silence and when Morgan finished her bottle, he set it to the side. Then he carefully pulled her to his shoulder and patted her back until she burped. Bringing her back to his arms, he held her as her eyes started to droop.

"You're a natural," Gibbs said with a smile.

"I don't know about that," he replied. "Right now, I'll settle for beginner's luck. We'll see if it keeps up." He looked at Gibbs who was looking down at John with a smile on his face. "Seems like you haven't forgotten what to do."

"Just like riding a bike," Gibbs replied softly.

He glanced at Gibbs and his eye was drawn to the faint scar by his left eye. It was one of the last visible reminders of their time spent in Paraguay.

Shortly before their escape, they had been taken from their cell and forced through their captor's version of a gauntlet once again. With their hands tied behind their back, they were forced to make their way through the corridors as the crew laughed, jeered and struck at them. One of the men had pushed him over a knee knocker and with his hands bound behind his back, he hadn't been able to brace himself as he went down. He hit the deck hard and had been winded and dazed.

As he struggled to recover, Gibbs stood over him and guarded him from the man who had pushed him down. It earned Gibbs a shiner and a split cheek, but it had also given him time to fight to his feet and to continue. He had chastised Gibbs after they finally returned to their cell, but Gibbs assured him it was worth it to keep the men from beating him while he was down. He protected his people.

Gibbs had been protecting him for fifteen years, teaching him, molding him into the man he was. He and Delilah had wanted to honor that just as they had honored his father by naming their son after him.

As Gibbs fed John, he began to smile at the baby boy. The reflexive smile, like the one he had been wearing for much of the day, almost hid Gibbs' scar from view.

"I hope you don't mind," he said drawing Gibbs' attention. "But John isn't just named for my father." Gibbs looked at him. "We wanted to name him after the two men who have been the biggest influence on me. My dad got me started but I wouldn't be who I am without your influence boss."

"I didn't do much," Gibbs protested. "You did all the hard work."

"Maybe so," he said, unsurprised that Gibbs was avoiding taking credit where it was due. Gibbs never liked praise even when it was well-earned. "But hard work means nothing if you're learning the wrong things."

Gibbs nodded in concession.

"What name did you pick?" Gibbs asked.

"Dee suggested Jethro since it would be his middle name and it's yours too," he said. "We even debated going with Gibbs, but we went with my suggestion." Gibbs looked at him expectantly. "John Jackson seemed to have a good ring to it."

Gibbs looked at him for a moment before he nodded. "It does," Gibbs said. He looked down at the boy. Gibbs chuckled. "And it's better than John Leroy."

He smiled. "I thought so too although John Jethro wouldn't have been bad either."

Gibbs shook his head. "Nah, you made the better choice." Gibbs met his eye. "I'm honored, Tim," Gibbs said sincerely. He could see a glint from unshed tears in his Gibbs' eye. "Dad would be too."

They fell silent and when John finished his bottle, Gibbs burped the boy before settling him in to sleep off the meal.

"This is exactly why you fought like hell to get home, Tim," Gibbs said softly.

He looked at his boss as he looked down at his son. Not counting Gibbs' manic joy right after they returned home, he wasn't sure he had ever seen his boss so content.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And this is exactly why I got off that helo."

Gibbs looked at him.

After spending two months together, he was able to read Gibbs' micro expressions a little better. There was joy at the corner of his eyes. Gratitude in the slight nod of his head and pride in the slight uptick of his mouth. Gibbs had been prepared to sacrifice himself to save the children and Gibbs had been prepared to sacrifice himself so that he could return home to Delilah and his children. But he was grateful that he had survived.

He mirrored his boss as they came to the same understanding.

"Don't take any of it for granted," Gibbs said as he returned his gaze to John. "Savor every minute you have with them."

"I'm trying," he said.

Gibbs looked at him. "Your anxiety?"

"Not so bad as it was when we first got home," he admitted. "Dr. Confalone's been helping with that." He chuckled slightly. "Although it was ratchetted up a few notches today." Gibbs smiled. "But I'm appreciating things more," he said. "I just meant that its only been a few hours. Been enjoying every minute of it."

Gibbs nodded.

"Worried?"

"Weren't you?" he asked.

"I was too young and stupid to be worried," Gibbs said. "And I was Marine Sniper. Even if I was worried, I wasn't going to admit it to anyone let alone myself." He snorted lightly. "Worried you're going to make mistakes?"

He considered it for a moment before he answered.

"I know I'm going to make mistakes," he replied. "I had a complicated relationship with my Dad. After I went to college, it was like we were always butting heads. No matter what I did, it was never good enough. MIT at sixteen? It wasn't the Academy. Masters degree? What was I going to use a computer forensics degree for anyway? Biomedical engineering degree? Was I going to go to college forever? FLETC? Why would I want to be a paper-pusher? Joining the MCRT. I wasn't a real agent. I was obviously there because of my computer skills."

Morgan started to fuss and he realized how much he had worked himself up. He took a deep breath and gently rocked her until she returned to sleep.

"At times, it was an all-out Cold War between us. That's what worries me the most," he said as he looked at his daughter before looking at Gibbs. "I don't want to have that kind of relationship with my kids. I hated it but I had no idea how to fix it either. It took Dad getting sick to finally work things out." He sighed lightly. "And by the time we did, I lost him."

"You wanted more," Gibbs inferred.

"Yeah," he said as he fell silent.

He and his father had been close when he had been young. He still fondly recalled their times camping together for scouts and his father showing him how to operate the HAM radio so they could talk to people all over the world. But as his father's career started to take off, they started to drift apart.

His father would deploy and he skipped a grade in school. They moved to another base and he grew more independent. Then he went off to MIT and instead of joining ROTC and choosing a Naval career, he decided to take his life in a different direction than his father had anticipated. He changed and grew while his father seemed to be further set in his ways.

Every time they would fight, he would think of the early days of his childhood. He had a great relationship with his father as a child. Was it too much to ask for that as an adult? But just when he finally got to that point, his father died and he lost it forever. It was bittersweet.

He tried to imagine how his father would have reacted to everything from his hasty wedding after finding out they were pregnant to the surprise that they were having twins. He didn't think his father would have been pleased with the order of operations but even that would give way to some kind of response. But all he could picture was his father's stoic face; he couldn't picture his reaction.

Gibbs on the other hand, had always been supportive of his relationship with Delilah, in his own Gibbsian way.

With his boss, actions spoke louder than words. Despite being in the middle of a case, Gibbs had come to the hospital to stay with him both when Delilah had been hurt and when she had collapsed seven months ago. They had talked a little, but mostly, they had sat in silence. Gibbs' presence had been calming enough to ease his anxiety.

But his most powerful statement had been when Gibbs had given him his family watch. It was a precious family heirloom. Words had failed him when he realized how much Gibbs thought of him, especially after he realized his boss had engraved the watch for him.

"He thought you were just a paper-pusher?" Gibbs asked, drawing him from his thoughts.

"When we saw him on the ship, yeah," he replied. "Dad had his own idea of what an NCIS agent did. Every time we talked, he never let me answer when I tried to explain my job so eventually I gave up." He looked at Morgan. "After I found out about his health, well, we did start talking more. But that didn't make it any easier to communicate."

"Know how that goes," Gibbs replied. "I didn't talk to my father for almost twenty years and before that we butted heads too. Butted heads almost as much afterwards. Got it right in the end though." He nodded. "Your father ever find out the truth?" He shook his head. He wasn't sure what Gibbs meant. "About the kind of agent you are?"

"I think so," he replied. "I think I dropped enough hints that he asked the right questions of the right people. Pretty sure Sarah always stuck up for me too but he never asked me." He left it unspoken that he wished his father had asked. He looked down at Morgan again. "I think he was happier that I was seeing Delilah than knowing I was a good agent though."

He looked at Gibbs. His father had sacrificed a lot for his career. His family paid the price and his father hadn't wanted him to do the same.

"We've known each other a long time Tim," Gibbs said. "And after Paraguay, I can say for certain that you aren't your father."

He nodded. The long hours in the cell together had led to long conversations. Sometimes it was because they were bored. Other times it was to take their minds off the pain El Doctor had inflicted on them or that they knew would be inflicted on them. Sometimes it was because they talked in their sleep or hallucinated because of pain and hunger. Regardless of the reason, they now knew more about each other than anyone else with the exception of Delilah. And maybe Fornell.

"I'm proud of who you've become," Gibbs said. "I'd like to say I saw it coming when we met on that quay in Norfolk, but I never imagined you'd become the agent you are now. You exceeded all my expectations."

He thought back to that day. He had only been an agent for a few months and up until then, he had never had to deal with anything more than petty crime. As horrible as it was, the call that a body had been discovered was exciting. It was more along the lines of what he had imagined he would be doing when he decided to join NCIS. He hadn't been prepared for the sight or the smell of a dead body. But he forced himself to follow procedure, secure the site and the witnesses until Gibbs and his team arrived.

"You know," he said as he shifted slightly. "I don't think I ever asked…"

"Why'd I bring you onto my team?" Gibbs asked. He nodded. "It wasn't your computer skills."

"Bet that didn't hurt though," he said.

Gibbs shrugged and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"You were green as grass and looked like you were about to puke on my shoes," Gibbs said. He nodded. He still wasn't sure how he _hadn't_ puked at that first scene. "But when I asked if you didn't think I could be difficult too, you squared up, looked me in the eye and said you thought I could."

"That's what made you bring me onto your team?" he asked incredulously. He had been quaking in boots and stuttered badly under Gibbs' intense gaze. That first meeting definitely hadn't been his finest hour.

"That and you asked the right question that got us to the ecoterrorists that were trying to kill the crew with sarin gas," Gibbs said. "Took me months to finally convince the Director to approve the transfer. You were young and didn't have any investigative experience. He didn't think it was right to bring you straight onto the MCRT. Morrow kept suggesting other agents and I kept turning him down."

"I appreciate your stubbornness on my behalf, Gibbs," he said.

Gibbs cocked a small smile as John yawned before settling down again.

"I was a sniper, Tim," Gibbs replied. "We're patient and stubborn."

He smiled.

"Believe me, Morrow got sick of hearing 'I told you so' when you proved me right," Gibbs said. "And while I'm glad you did, I'm more proud of the man you've become," Gibbs said. "Delilah's a lucky woman. You're the kind of man I would have wished for my own daughter."

He blinked back the tears. After knowing Gibbs for so long, he knew that was about the highest praise of anyone's character that Gibbs could give.

"That means a lot to me, Gibbs," he said finally. "Really."

Gibbs snorted lightly.

"Not sure why people value my opinion in those matters so much," Gibbs said.

"After what we went through together, you have to ask why I value your opinion?" he asked.

"Nah," Gibbs said. "Before that. Both you and DiNozzo. Never understood it."

"Why?" he asked. "Because the second 'B' stands for bastard?"

Gibbs chuckled at his old joke.

"Something like that," Gibbs replied. "You know better than anyone; I'm no saint."

"I know," he replied. "No one's perfect Gibbs," he said. "Even at the end when we were getting along, my dad was still…" He hesitated as he tried to select the right word. His father had been stubborn, cantankerous and emotionally closed off right up until the end. "Difficult," he said settling on the most diplomatic descriptor. Glancing at Gibbs, he could see that his boss understood. "Even he admitted that he'd never be named father of the year but he was still my father."

He allowed his words to sink in for a moment before he continued.

"We've been through a lot together, even before Paraguay," he said. "I know you wouldn't steer me wrong when I need help."

"No," Gibbs agreed.

"And I know you would do anything for me, just like I would do anything for you," he finished.

"You do what you need to do for family," Gibbs said.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And that's why I value your opinion, Boss. You're family. So that means, you're Grandpa Gibbs now."

Gibbs looked down at John and nodded.

"Ok," he said accepting the title with a smile.

"Any grandfatherly advice you want to give, Gibbs?" he asked.

Gibbs looked at him and he could see his boss knew he was asking for advice, father to father. Or more accurately, father to son.

Not long after he had joined Gibbs' team, they had figured out that he was young enough to be Gibbs' son. He and Tony had joked about it but mostly Tony used that fact to tease him for his young age. He hadn't really considered the older man to be a father figure at the time but after fifteen years of working together, trusting one another and in more than one case, nearly dying together, their relationship had changed from coworkers to something deeper.

Even if his father had been still alive, he wasn't sure he would have been a source of advice other than 'don't make the same mistakes I did.' Which aside from obvious, wasn't helpful. But his father had died long before he had considered the possibility of marriage and a family with Delilah.

So, while he didn't have the option to seek fatherly advice from his biological father, he had the next best thing sitting in the chair next to him, holding his son.

He looked at Gibbs as the older man considered his words.

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. "Breathe, Tim. Just breathe."

He met Gibbs' gaze and smiled as they both looked down at the sleeping babies in their arms.


	2. Gibbs

_A/N: So I hadn't planned on this story being anything more than a one-shot but I couldn't get the other side of the story out of my head. Gibbs is harder for me but I hope I've done his thought process justice._

* * *

He smiled as he looked down at the baby boy in his arms.

No one had ever accused him of being a softie. People would be more likely to label him as a hard ass, grouchy, son of a bitch. But right now, after Tim had asked him for fatherly advice, he was inches away from crying and he didn't really want to do that. So, he focused his attention on the sleeping baby because he knew if he looked at Tim right now, the tears would start.

It wasn't that he didn't want to shed tears in front of Tim. Tim had seen him cry on more than a few occasions during their incarceration just as he had witnessed Tim's tears. But those tears had been tears of agony. An unwanted reaction to the depravation and pain they had endured at their captors' hands.

There were very few people in the world who had ever seen him so vulnerable. His mother for one. Shannon certainly. Perhaps his father. But when he thought about it, that's where the list ended. He had never been so unguarded with any of his ex-wives, which was probably one of the many reasons why they had ended up becoming ex-wives.

And he kept those barriers in place with his friends too. Tony had certainly never seen him so vulnerable even though they had gone through so much during his career at NCIS. He shared more than most with Ducky but he usually kept their deeper conversations to case related insecurities rather than personal ones. Even Tobias, the man he considered to be his best friend, wasn't that close with him.

But he and Tim had spent two months fighting for their lives together. They suffered stomach gnawing hunger. Illnesses from malnutrition and contaminated water. Pain from beatings at the hands of a vengeful crew and torture at the hands of a maniac who liked the irony of calling himself a doctor. It had been impossible to remain guarded under those conditions.

But it was more than that. They had fought to maintain their sanity and ultimately for their souls over those two months. He had drawn strength from the younger man just as Tim had drawn strength from him. There was no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't have survived with his sanity intact without Tim at his side. And as much as he hated that Tim's loyalty made him step off that helo, he was exceptionally grateful for it as well.

He glanced at Tim. He was watching his daughter sleep with a deep sense of awe and unconditional love for the baby girl. He knew exactly how Tim felt for his newborn daughter because he had felt the same when Kelly had been born.

He blinked back tears and looked at baby John again. He took a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly. And that's when he realized why he didn't want to cry.

He wasn't holding back tears of joy. He was holding back tears of loss.

As much as he cherished being allowed into such a private moment and welcomed into McGee's family. It was yet another reminder that he had been robbed of this same experience with his own daughter. That he hadn't been able to shake the hand of the man Kelly would have married or witnessed their joy at the birth of their children.

The pain of their loss still cut deeply even after all these years. And just when he thought he was finally beginning to heal, something new cut him to the quick yet again. He felt tears prick at his eyes as the overwhelming emotions threatened to undo him.

Suddenly John yawned. He smiled reflexively at the tiny motion by the newborn.

He watched as John flexed his tiny fingers that just poked out of the swaddling. John looked up at him briefly and he noted that the newborn had the same color eyes as his father before the child closed his eyes and settled back to sleep. He took another breath as he allowed the pain of his loss be replaced by the awe at the creation of a new life.

Tim's words echoed in his mind. ' _And this is exactly why I got off that helo._ ' He glanced at Tim again before he looked at the baby boy. ' _I know you would do anything for me, just like I would do anything for you.'_

"You do what you need to do for family," he murmured.

"What was that?" Tim asked as he looked at him.

Startled, he looked at Tim. He hadn't realized he had spoken out loud.

He shook his head. "It was nothing," he replied. Tim didn't look convinced but thankfully he didn't press the matter either.

Since coming home, he had found himself enjoying things more. After spending two months waiting for the end, he was happy to still be alive. Grace had called it gratitude and had even spouted off some hokey quotation: 'If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Be thankful for what you have, you'll end up having more.'

He had joked with her about fortune cookie wisdom even though it resonated with him. For years he had focused on what he didn't have. Losing Shannon and Kelly had left him with a hole in his life. While he knew he could never replace them, he hadn't allowed anyone else in to fill the hole in his life.

Grace had admitted that she wasn't usually fond of spouting platitudes to her patients but she rarely could argue with the wisdom of Oprah. And in this case, she felt that Oprah was right. He had so much to be thankful for. He had gone through hell and lived to tell the tale. Not only that, but he had someone who loved him enough go through hell with him. That ought to be case enough for gratitude.

He had tried to argue that McGee's actions were driven by duty, but Grace hadn't let him finish. Tim had a wife with a baby on the way back home. Duty alone wasn't enough to make him get off that helo. He could deny it all he wanted, but there was love there. It was the same reason that he had given Tim his family watch.

With Grace treating both of them, he wasn't surprised that she knew about the watch or the sentiment behind it.

He had given Tim his father's watch for the same reason that Tim had named his son for his father. After fifteen years and too many close calls, they were more than coworkers. They were family.

He closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. Tim had just told him as much. He just needed to decide whether he could accept it or not. And not just accept the words. He needed to accept the emotion and affection that went with it.

John squirmed again causing him to open his eyes. He looked at the little boy before looking at Delilah, Tim and Morgan. Tim was the kind of man he had imagined for Kelly and Delilah was the kind of woman he had hoped Kelly would grow into: strong, intelligent, caring. As far as adoptive families went, he couldn't do much better. And if they wanted him, he would accept that invitation into their lives.

Suddenly a nurse slipped into the room.

"Oh," she said in surprise before she caught sight of Tim. "I didn't realize you had a visitor," she said softly. "I didn't see you enter."

He met Tim's eye and they shared a brief smile.

"It's all right, this is Agent Gibbs," Tim said. "He's my bo…" Tim cut himself off and looked at him once more before he said, "He's family. Jethro Gibbs."

The nurse relaxed and nodded.

"Nice to meet you Jethro," she said. He smiled as he looked at the baby. "How are we doing?" she asked as she looked down at the children in their arms.

"Good," Tim replied. "They finished their bottles."

The nurse nodded. "I'd expect that they'll need a diaper change in a few hours and probably another bottle right after that. We can take them to the nursery to let you get a full night's sleep if you'd like."

Tim looked at the baby in his arms then at Delilah. He could see the war being waged behind his tired eyes. It was nearly eleven o'clock. Tim hadn't slept more than a few hours in the last thirty-six and in the midst of all that, he had been held hostage while his wife was in labor. It was all catching up to him.

But at the same time, he didn't want to be separated from his children either.

"I understand," the nurse said kindly. "You aren't the first new father who didn't want to be separated from his babies. We're here to help and make sure that you all get off to a good start. And that means the new father not starting off too sleep deprived."

Tim snorted. "Too late for that," Tim replied. "I spent most of last night building the second crib." Tim looked at his daughter before he stubbornly shook his head. "I'd rather they stay here."

"Ok," the nurse replied. "You have extra diapers and I'll bring in two more bottles. If you need a hand when they wake up, just ring for one of us. We'll be happy to help."

Tim nodded as the nurse took the empty bottles and left.

"You should get some sleep Tim," he said after she had gone, pulling the door shut.

"I'm ok, Boss," Tim replied. He stared at the younger man incredulously and eventually Tim's resolve wavered. "I don't want Delilah's sleep to be interrupted."

"Then you should have let the nurse take them to the nursery," he countered.

"You're kidding, right?" Tim asked.

He shrugged lightly. He understood that protective nature. He hadn't wanted to let Kelly out of his sight either.

"I can stay a few hours and keep an eye on them, Tim," he said softly. "You need to sleep."

"You don't have to Gibbs," Tim tried to protest but he fixed another glare on the younger man until he relented. "Thanks," Tim said, the relief evident in his voice.

Nodding, he got up and carefully settled John into the bassinet as Tim did the same with Morgan. He watched as Tim settled into the chair that folded down into a bed. Once he was covered with a blanket, Tim closed his eyes. McGee was sound asleep before the nurse returned with two fresh bottles of formula.

She looked at Tim as she set the bottles into the warmer.

"Been a long day for him," he said with a smile. "And his wife had twins too."

She laughed lightly. "I heard about the incident downstairs. I was sad to hear about Morgan. He was a sweet man." He nodded as she looked at Tim. "I can't imagine how it must have felt to witness all that. Will he be ok?"

He nodded. "Tim's been through worse." She looked at him skeptically and he could tell that nurse was trying to figure out what could be worse than being held hostage and witnessing a man dying. "He'll be fine," he said.

"Don't tell me you plan to stay up all night and watch the kids sleep," the nurse said as she checked in on Morgan and John.

He glanced at the babies before settling his gaze on Tim.

"Just for a little while," he said.

"I could bring in another bed, Agent Gibbs. If you'd like," she offered.

He smiled slightly. "Not planning to stay the night."

"You just wanted to make sure your employee," she cut herself off. "Your family," she said causing him to smile slightly. "Was taken care of." He nodded. "I've seen all kinds of families, Agent Gibbs. And there ain't no such thing as normal. But the good ones, they love each other and care for each. Blood has nothing to do with it. The family we choose is just as important as the ones we're born with."

He followed her gaze to the twins before he looked at Delilah and then Tim.

"Yeah," he replied.

The nurse squeezed his arm and then left.

 _The family we choose is just as important as the ones we're born with._

He looked at Tim again. He thought that he was only accepting Tim's invitation into his family now but that wasn't right. He had invited Tim into _his_ family months ago when he had given Tim his father's watch. And he had decided to give Tim the watch months before that when Tim and Delilah had announced their engagement after Tim proposed in the elevator at NCIS.

Tim had been hesitant to accept such a personal gift. Tim had even asked if there wasn't someone else he had wanted to give the watch to. They both knew he meant Tony without ever saying it.

He turned and looked out the window at the lights below.

He could understand why Tim might have thought that would have wanted to give the watch to Tony instead. He had always been closer with Tony, personally and professionally. Tony had come to him for personal advice and as his senior field agent, he worked closer with Tony than anyone else on the team. He had never had that kind of relationship with Tim.

During their incarceration, Tim had asked him if he hadn't given the watch to Tony because he left not just NCIS but the country too. At the time, Tim had been doing his best to treat the rope burns on his wrists after a particularly rough session with El Doctor. He knew Tim was trying to take his mind off his injuries, but he was in too much pain for a conversation. He barely managed to shake his head and Tim hadn't pursued the question again.

He smiled sadly. It wasn't what should have happened. After everything she had been through, Ziva had deserved happiness, not death at the hands of Trent Kort. But at least her daughter survived and would have a good life with her father.

But it wasn't what Tony had deserved either. He wasn't sure that Tony had wanted kids, but he had deserved to know about Tali. It hadn't been right for Ziva to keep her from Tony even if he had chosen to walk away from her. Tony had been forced to choose between the woman he loved and the life he had built. Tony chose to return to his life because of the uncertainty whether a relationship with Ziva would work.

But Tony had second guessed himself as they watched Tali sleep. It had felt like the best choice at the time. But if he had stayed, he would have had more time with Ziva and Tali.

He knew better than anyone, you couldn't change the past and he wasn't about to point out that if he had stayed, Tony would have likely died alongside Ziva leaving Tali as an orphan. He did tell Tony that it was up to him to make the best of things and give Tali a good home. Ziva would have wanted that.

Now Tony and Tali were making a life with each other in France and from what he could tell, they seemed to be happy.

He would have other gifts for Tony as Tali grew up. But the watch would never have been a gift for his former senior agent.

If Tim had asked him again, he would have said he didn't give Tony the watch because of the sentiment behind it. It was a gift given at the time of marriage. A gift to remind the wearer that time with their loved ones was precious. He only would give the gift to someone who was marrying their soulmate. And he wasn't sure that Tony ever planned to marry, even if Ziva hadn't died and they had remained together.

He shifted his weight and winced as his knee protested. The knee replacement had fixed a lot of his previous problems but it introduced some new aches and pains.

Glancing back at Tim, he watched as the younger man shifted in his sleep, dislodging the blanket.

He carefully made his way to Tim's side and pulled the blanket up to his chin, smiling slightly as Tim grabbed the blanket and tucked it under his chin.

Not ready to leave just yet, he checked in on the babies before he looked at the chair. He needed to stretch his legs not sit in an uncomfortable hospital chair. He was about to stretch out on the floor when he caught sight of the windowsill. It was about six feet long and about eighteen inches wide. Big enough for him to stretch out.

He made his way to the windowsill and sat down. He stretched out and lay back, pillowing his head with his arm. Taking a deep breath, he sighed as the aches from his knee eased. He glanced at Tim and Delilah but they were both sound asleep.

Over the years, more than a few people had told him that he had treated his team like they were his children. He had scoffed and rebuffed the idea at the time. It was physically impossible for him to be DiNozzo's father and even though it was possible with Tim and Ziva, he had never considered his interactions with his team to be paternal. But there was more to being a father than just being responsible for half the genetic material.

A father taught his children right from wrong. He nurtured them and helped them grow. He supported them, cared for them and protected them. He was someone they could come to for advice or if they needed help. He was there for them in the good times and especially in the bad.

He had worked to teach them to be better agents, to be better people and to protect them. He offered his own kind of encouragement when they needed it and wasn't shy to use tough love when necessary. He was sparing with his praise, but it meant more when given.

When put that way, he had a hard time denying he had acted like a father at times.

He looked at the bassinet that held sleeping twins for a moment before he looked at Delilah. Then he looked at Tim. He was sleeping soundly. The lines of worry, stress and fear had eased and for a moment he saw the innocent young man he had first met in Norfolk, even with ridiculous beard of his.

After that first case with McGee, he had asked about bringing him onto their team in Washington but Morrow had resisted. Tim was too young. He didn't have any field experience. But most of all, he wasn't suited to be an agent on the Major Case Response Team. They got into the thick of things, and Morrow wasn't going to set up Gibbs' team with an agent they couldn't count on.

He knew that Morrow wasn't seeing what he saw in Timothy McGee. He hadn't argued with Morrow but he had rejected every agent the director had suggested to fill the empty desk in his squad. And every time they worked with McGee, he brought up his transfer with Morrow until finally the Director had relented and approved it. It had come with a 'I hope you know what you're doing' warning but he had just smiled and delivered the paperwork to McGee before he could return to Norfolk.

He had brought Tim onto his team because he saw a diamond in the rough, just like he had with Tony. Tim was smart, sometimes too smart for his own good. He was good with tech and while that filled a void they had within their team, he valued the different insight that McGee brought to the table. He had taken great satisfaction in watching Tim grow from the green rookie to the confident field agent and now his senior field agent.

After the first few months, Morrow had grudgingly admitted that McGee's talents had been wasted in Norfolk and that he had been right about the young man. McGee only needed the chance to prove his worth and he had done so in spades. He never told anyone, but hearing Morrow eat crow had given him great satisfaction too.

He glanced over at Tim.

Tim had always been the most normal and well-adjusted of his agents. He grew up in a stable home life with parents that loved him, even if the Admiral had been a tough son of a bitch and deployed often. His father's tough love had been counter-balanced by his mother and grandmother. Together, they had raised a kind, sensitive, and determined son who wanted to be a field agent and fought like hell to become one.

And once he became a field agent, Tim took everything in. He used every opportunity to learn and grow as an investigator. He turned his failures into strengths through hard work and determination and by accepting help from everyone. Tony had taken Tim under his wing and he made sure his Probie became the best damn agent at NCIS aside from Tony himself, of course.

He smiled as he thought about Tony and Tim, the unlikeliest pair of best friends. When Tim had been brought onto the team, it was like he had introduced this yappy little puppy into the mix that Tony didn't quite know how to handle. They were opposites in almost every way and Tony teased the hell out of Tim but somehow, they became best friends willing to go to the ends of the earth for each other. Despite all the teasing and pranks, when one needed the other, they were there. Even if 'there' was raiding a terrorist camp in Somalia or chasing down violent militants in Sudan.

He smiled slightly as he recalled seeing them round the corner with Ziva suspended between them. Both were dirty, bruised and slightly bloodied but they were alive and had never looked better in his eyes.

Tim's courage was probably one of his most underestimated traits. Even though he was an armed federal agent, he didn't seem like the type to be breaking down doors and arresting criminals. But he had displayed his courage time and again since becoming a full-time field agent. And he never hesitated when Tony told him of the plan to go after Saleem or when he needed to go to Sudan. And Tim hadn't hesitated to jump off that helo because he was in trouble. He really admired that in Tim, but it wasn't the trait he admired the most.

That was Tim's loyalty. His loyalty to his family was unquestioned. His sister, his grandmother and even his father. He had even come close to giving up the job he loved for his sister. And once earned, Tim's loyalty to his friends was just as strong.

As a marine, loyalty to his fellow marines had been ingrained in him from the first day at boot camp. And as an impressionable kid, it was a lesson that stuck, and it was a lesson that he valued. Loyalty led to trust and trust was everything in their job. And he trusted Tim without question. The younger man had never given him reason to doubt him.

He glanced at Tim. Maybe that was what he valued most about Tim. He was steady. He was reliable. He wasn't flashy like Tony. He wasn't a walking weapon like Ziva. He wasn't a lone wolf like Torres or an chess-player like Bishop. He was a little of everything but when you needed him, he was there.

Which is why he knew that Tim would order the helo to take off. That part was doing his job to make sure that the kids got to safety. And that's why he knew, even though he had intended to make a stand to protect his team, that Tim wouldn't leave him behind. If he were to be honest about it, he had probably even counted on it.

He glanced at Delilah and for an instant, he felt the guilt that had weighed on him since he woke up with his hands and feet bound, a ringing headache and a newly married, father-to-be at his side. At the time, it hadn't been much consolation that he and Tim had survived their last stand because he knew it was only a matter of time before the militants killed them.

He closed his eyes. When he finally saw Delilah after they returned home, she hadn't been angry. She had spent the first few minutes looking him over and examining the cut by his eye that was still raw even a week after their return home. She made sure he was healing and that he was eating more than just fireplace steak. Then she thanked him for taking care of and protecting Tim.

He had tried to apologize but Delilah had cut him off. She hadn't let her husband apologize and she wasn't going to let him try to apologize either. She understood why they did what they did. They had done their jobs. All that mattered was that they were home safe and sound. She wasn't going to dwell on anything else because she knew from personal experience it didn't do any good.

He had marveled that she could be so forgiving after everything she had gone through over the last two months. And he was glad that Tim had found such an amazing and understanding partner in life.

Their relationship hadn't been smooth by any means. But Tim and Delilah had fought through each of their trials and emerged from each stronger than before. He never said it, but he had always hoped that things would work out for them. He liked Delilah and he felt that she was as good for Tim as he was for her.

Delilah's injury had been a test of their young relationship, especially given Tim's hesitation leading up to attending the gala. But when he saw Tim make his way through the squad room in his tuxedo, he had met Tim's eye and given him his silent approval. Tim had paused for a moment and seemly wanted to ask for advice but he had fixed Tim with a glare that told him to quit stalling and get going. Tim had smiled bashfully, nodded appreciatively and left to be with Delilah.

Perhaps that was why Tim had texted him instead of Tony when he had been at the hospital. They didn't say much while he sat with Tim for a few hours. But as they sat, he watched Tim's posture relax, his breathing even out, and the tension leave his features. Tim hadn't needed platitudes or words of encouragement. He needed time to work through things and his silent affirmation that Tim wasn't alone.

And now, he was here again, offering that same support. It seemed like his presence was enough to calm the younger man, but he had a feeling that some fatherly advice would be in their future, especially if he was going to be grandpa Gibbs.

Tim had never really come to him for advice. He had an independent streak, developed during his father's frequent deployments, that made him want to solve his problems on his own first. Although, Tim also had an infuriating insecurity streak too. Thankfully that had lessened with age and experience. But he had a feeling that it might rear its ugly head as Tim encountered the challenges of fatherhood, and he'd be needed to put Tim back onto an even keel.

He hadn't been on great terms with his father when Kelly had been young and even though there had been times that he had wanted to talk with his father about being a husband and a father, he had been too stubborn to be the bigger man and patch things up with his dad.

His father was gone now and so was Tim's father. Tim would miss out on that too, unless he was willing to stand in and be a surrogate father figure and accept Tim as his surrogate son. He wasn't sure he knew how to be the father figure Tim needed but he was willing to try. He might even be looking forward to it…

Suddenly he felt a hand under his head. Eyes snapping open, he blinked in the darkness before he saw the nurse and relaxed.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was just bringing you a pillow and a blanket."

He tilted his head up and allowed the nurse to slide the pillow under his head. The blanket was sitting on his chest.

"Thanks," he said.

"I don't know many bosses that would spend the night on a hospital windowsill just to make sure their employee slept well," she said causing him to smile as she opened the blanket. "He's lucky to have you."

He glanced at Tim and thought about the two months they spent in Paraguay and the last fifteen years together.

"Pretty sure that luck goes both ways," he said as she spread the blanket over his body.

"Good night Agent Gibbs," she said as she left the room.

With the pillow and the blanket, he was warm and comfortable. And after a full day investigating a case and dealing with Tim's hostage situation, he was tired. He hadn't planned to spend the night in the hospital but right now he wasn't sure there was anywhere else he wanted to be.

He was with his family.

* * *

 _A/N: I keep feeling like there's a third chapter in this story from Delilah's point of view. We'll see if my muse cooperates..._


	3. Delilah

_A/N: Well here's the final portion of this story. This part is a little different and veers more into the aftermath of Paraguay and how Tim and Gibbs' relationship is now very different than it was before. I'd say this is more about an observation of that new relationship. Also, we still know very little about how Tim and Delilah met or about her family. How they met and the history of Delilah's is entirely mine until the show tells us differently._

* * *

Even without opening her eyes, she knew Tim was having another nightmare. The tiny noises he was making were like alarm bells and would draw her from the soundest sleep. They were the precursor to a full-tilt, horrifying nightmare that would keep him from returning to sleep for hours. It had been a long time since he had one of those nightmares but she still knew what to do.

Reaching out to squeeze his shoulder, she winced as she smacked her hand against something hard.

Jolted awake by the pain, she looked around and realized that she wasn't in their bedroom. She was in the hospital. She had given birth yesterday and she had smacked her hand off the rail of the hospital bed. But if Tim wasn't in the bed with her, where was he?

Tipping her head up, she looked around. The door to hospital room was closed and there was only a small lamp to illuminate the room. In the semi-darkness, she didn't see her husband but she could hear the noises were coming from the corner where she remembered seeing a reclining chair.

She looked around for her chair and found it next to the bed. She would have to disconnect herself from the monitors and lower the bed before she could think about getting into her chair and by that time Tim would be in the throes of his nightmare…

Suddenly she saw a dark form emerge from the ledge near the window. Even though she knew she should be alarmed that some stranger was in her hospital room, she wasn't. She couldn't tell who it was in the darkness, but she had a really good guess. So instead of shouting for a nurse, she watched the dark form make its way over to a chair that was reclined into a bed. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see Tim was twitching slightly under a blanket.

When the dark form reached Tim, it leaned down and squeezed Tim's shoulder. "It's ok Tim," Gibbs said. "I've got you. You're safe."

She watched as Tim immediately calmed at Gibbs' words. Relieved that Gibbs was there for Tim, she leaned back against the pillow but continued to watch as Gibbs held onto Tim's shoulder as the nightmare eased. Every time it seemed like Tim was slipping back into the dream, Gibbs would squeeze his shoulder and whisper calming words.

Slowly Tim woke and looked around in confusion. Gibbs let go as Tim propped himself up on his elbow.

"Boss?" Tim asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"You were having a nightmare," Gibbs said.

"I know," Tim replied. "Just can't figure out why you're the one waking me up from it. Where's Delilah?"

She closed her eyes and feigned sleep. Tim would be upset if he knew he woke her.

"Still asleep in her bed," Gibbs said as he turned around to look at her.

She heard the bed creak as Tim looked around Gibbs.

"What time is it?" Tim asked.

"After three," Gibbs replied. "Twins are still sound asleep."

"You've been sitting in that chair for four hours?" Tim asked.

"On the window ledge," Gibbs replied. "The nurse brought me a pillow and a blanket so I could catch some rack time."

She heard the chair creak as Tim sat up further. Cracking an eye, she watched as Tim rubbed his eyes.

"So instead of going home and sleeping in your own bed, you decided to sleep on a hard, narrow window ledge?" Tim asked incredulously.

She watched as Gibbs met Tim's eye. "Said I'd stay and watch over you, didn't I?"

"Actually, you said you'd stay and watch over the twins," Tim pointed out.

Gibbs snorted lightly. "What kind of grandfather watches over his grandkids and ignores their father when he's having a nightmare three feet away?"

She watched as Tim looked at Gibbs in surprise before he nodded. "You have a point. Thanks. That was about to turn into a full-tilt nightmare. Would have scared everyone on the floor if you hadn't woke me."

"You been having nightmares like this a lot?" Gibbs asked. Gibbs tone was even but she heard the concern that was behind the question. Evidently Tim did too because he shifted over and motioned for Gibbs to sit on the bed.

She watched as Gibbs slowly stood and shifted to sit on the edge of the bed. Gibbs nodded gratefully and waited patiently for Tim to gather his thoughts. Tim rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair one more time before he looked back at Gibbs.

"Not recently," Tim replied. "It's been…" Tim paused to think when his last nightmare had been.

She knew it was nineteen days ago. She still could vividly recall his shouts of terror through the bathroom door, where she had been when the nightmare started. But like tonight, it had taken too long to transfer herself back to her chair and into their bedroom to wake him. Thankfully Gibbs had been here to stave off the worst of the nightmare.

"Almost three weeks ago," Tim said finally. "Delilah can usually stop them like you did but she was in the bathroom and it took her a few minutes to wake me."

"Glad I was here then," Gibbs said.

Tim snorted mirthlessly. "Knowing what comes next, me too," Tim replied softly.

"You wanna talk about it?" Gibbs asked.

"Not really," Tim replied. He sighed. "But I probably should."

"Only if you want to," Gibbs said.

She watched as Tim took a moment to pull his thoughts together while Gibbs waited patiently.

She was curious about what he might say. She was pretty certain that Tim still gave her a sanitized version of his dreams and she knew he hadn't told her everything that had happened to them while held in captivity. He probably had repressed many of the memories, but she knew he was holding back in other cases. She just wasn't sure if he didn't want to tell her what happened because he didn't want to scare her or if he didn't think she could handle knowing what he had been through.

But Gibbs was different. Gibbs was the only other person in the world who knew what her husband had gone through. Tim told her he had talked to Gibbs on occasion and a few times his session with Dr. Confalone had spilled into a joint session with Gibbs, who always seemed to have the appointment directly after his no matter what time of the day he scheduled the session.

When she pointed out that there was no such thing as a coincidence, especially with Gibbs, Tim had shrugged. But she knew it was reassuring to him that his boss was accepting help. And taking the appointment directly after Tim was just another way that Gibbs was looking out for Tim.

After Tim had started to see Dr. Confalone, he had begun to open up to her. She had been horrified by some of the things he told her and she hadn't known how best to react. Tim had tried to comfort her and tell her that no one really knew what to say. But even though he meant well, his words hadn't brought her comfort. She was his wife and she wanted to help him. Or at least, she wanted to know how to not make things worse for him.

Ever the analyst, she knew she needed to research. She needed to talk to someone who knew how to talk to someone who had suffered great trauma. She needed to talk to someone who knew what her husband had gone through. So, she did the only thing that made sense: she had made her own appointment with Dr. Confalone.

At first Dr. Grace had been concerned that she had made the appointment to find out what her husband was saying during their sessions. Dr. Confalone had strongly warned her that anything Tim told her was privileged information and that she couldn't break her doctor-patient confidentiality even for a concerned wife. When she finally got a word in edgewise, she told Dr. Confalone she only wanted to know how to talk to her husband about what happened without making the trauma worse. Dr. Confalone had been surprised and more than happy to give her advice on how to help Tim.

"They all start off different," Tim said interrupting her thoughts. "Sometimes we're in the jungle to start. Sometimes we're on the ship. But we're always facing some kind of onslaught from the crew."

"The gauntlet," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded and swallowed hard. "It always feels so real that I'm convinced I'm back in Paraguay. And even when Delilah wakes me, I can never get back to sleep because I'm afraid I'm going to fall back into the dream."

"What about this one?" Gibbs asked.

Tim stared at Gibbs for a moment before he slumped. She wasn't sure how Gibbs knew this dream was different but Tim's reaction told her that he was right.

"This one _was_ different," Tim admitted. "I was on the ship, but I was alone. No crew. No you. I was wandering the corridors looking for anyone, but it was like everyone had just disappeared. It was creepy."

Gibbs nodded.

"But then I went to El Doctor's room," Tim said causing Gibbs to tense.

Tim had mentioned El Doctor a few times and he talked about him more without saying his name. El Doctor was the one responsible for their more creative interrogations. While the crew was largely content to beat them with baseball bats and brass knuckles, his preferred means of torture involved everything from stress positions to electric shock to other less pleasant tactics. And they were always together so that they could witness the other being tortured.

"You woke me just as I was opening the door," Tim said. "Thanks for that."

Gibbs reached out and squeezed Tim's shoulder.

"The last time I had this dream," Tim said heavily.

"Three weeks ago?" Gibbs asked.

Tim nodded. "I wasn't alone that time. I was tied to that hook while I was forced to watch." Tim took a shuddering breath, which implied he had been forced to watch Gibbs being tortured. "That was always worse than being on the table."

"Well yeah," Gibbs said as if it were obvious. "It's easier to take the pain yourself, Tim. It's way worse when you're watching someone you care for being hurt."

"And can't do anything to stop it," Tim finished.

"Yeah," Gibbs said. "Why do you think I antagonized them so damn much? It wasn't because I enjoyed the results of pissing them off."

"I know," Tim replied. "And I knew what you were doing. You were trying to protect me. If you've forgotten, I told you not to do it."

"I didn't forget," Gibbs said softly.

"You ignored me," Tim retorted.

"Because I couldn't watch them, Tim," Gibbs said cutting himself off as his voice wavered.

Gibbs took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. It was a surprisingly emotional moment for the older man and she had never imagined hearing that tone of voice from him. She almost wished she could see Gibbs' face so she could get an idea of what he was thinking. As it was, she couldn't get a feel for Gibbs' thoughts from Tim's face. There wasn't enough light to try to read his expression as Tim waited patiently for Gibbs to collect himself.

Finally, Gibbs let out his breath and continued, "I couldn't bear watching them hurt you."

"I made my choice Gibbs," Tim said firmly. Gibbs started to talk but Tim interrupted. "Just like you made yours. I know you wouldn't have done anything different." Gibbs shook his head. "Even with everything, neither would I. And I'll keep saying that until you stop feeling guilty for my actions."

Gibbs exhaled sharply.

"Yeah, that isn't as easy as it sounds," Gibbs admitted. "Because I'll always remember being stuck there, unable to help." Gibbs paused. "I couldn't protect you from what they were doing. And that was worse than anything else I went through physically."

"Trust me, I know," Tim replied.

Gibbs looked at Tim and there was some kind of silent communication between them. She couldn't tell what they were saying without words but eventually Gibbs continued.

"You shouldn't feel guilty either," Gibbs said.

"You took all those beatings for me…"

"You're telling me you wouldn't have done the same thing you were in my position and if it had been you and Torres? Or you and Bishop?" Gibbs retorted, cutting Tim off. She watched as Tim frowned but didn't contradict Gibbs. "I've seen you do it. Don't know if you realize it though. But you're the senior field agent…"

"We protect our people," Tim finished. "Yeah, ever since Tony left, I think about that all the time. Every time we go into a situation that could be dangerous and even the ones that aren't, I'm always going over the possibilities and I make sure I have a plan in case things go sideways. I know it's my job to watch over the others."

Gibbs nodded approvingly and Tim smiled slightly at his praise.

"Doesn't mean what I did didn't have consequences," Gibbs said. "And guilt cuts deeper than any knife." Tim nodded and swallowed hard. "I know how that feels, Tim. I felt the same way when my antagonizing them backfired and they took it out on you."

She couldn't see Gibbs face since his back was to her, but she could hear the guilt in his voice.

"Considering how much you provoked them, I'm surprised it didn't happen more often," Tim replied.

"Once was too much," Gibbs said, interrupting Tim.

"But as much as it sucked," Tim said stubbornly continuing. "It was worth it Gibbs. If they were hurting me, they weren't hurting you. You had taken more than anyone should have had to take."

She watched as they looked at each other. Their affection for one another was almost palpable to her. Neither vocalized it and she had a feeling that the silent affirmation was as close as they'd ever get to admitting it to one another.

"You're right, I did feel guilty that you were taking the beatings for me," Tim said eventually. "But that wasn't the worst part of being forced to watch. It was the helplessness. I'm used to being able to do _something_ and all I could do is sit there."

"Yeah," Gibbs said in agreement. "I know what you mean." She watched as they sat silently until finally Gibbs asked, "So why that dream? Why today?"

"I don't know," Tim said but he wasn't convincing.

"You know why," Gibbs said firmly. Tim shook his head. "The nightmare," Gibbs said. "You said it's been three weeks since you last had a nightmare. When was the last one before that?"

Nine days before that.

With the exception of that first blissful night, the nightmares had been almost daily after Tim returned home. After two months, the frequency had dropped to every three or four days although she knew the quality of his sleep was just as bad as hers. He was awake every time she came back to bed after having to pee in the middle of the night thanks to one of the twins sitting on her bladder. At the time, she had guessed that Tim was waking himself before the nightmare could set in at least half the time.

But as soon as Tim started to see Dr. Confalone, the nightmares became fewer and farther in between.

"I dunno," Tim replied. "About two weeks before that? That was a different dream though."

"So why now?" Gibbs asked again.

"You trying to be like Dr. Confalone, Boss?" Tim asked trying to deflect.

"Just answer the damn question, Tim," Gibbs said so forcefully that they both turned to look at her, worried that they had woke her up.

But she closed her eyes in time and they apparently turned back to each other. She wasn't exactly fond of the idea of eavesdropping on a very personal conversation but she didn't want to interrupt it either. Tim needed to talk these things out if he ever wanted to get past them.

But she also wasn't above eavesdropping on a conversation that could answer her questions about what her husband had gone through.

"You know the answer," Gibbs said, lowering his voice. "You always know the answer, Tim."

Tim took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could feel his eyes on her so she continued to feign sleep.

"It's strange, but watching Delilah give birth was a lot like Paraguay," Tim said so softly that she almost didn't hear him. But Tim hadn't lowered his voice to avoid waking her. He was speaking softly because he was having a hard time putting his thoughts to voice. "She was in pain and I couldn't do a thing about it. All I could do was watch… If I could have taken the pain away…"

If she could have leapt across the room to hug her husband, she would have. On one hand, she hated that the birth of their children reminded him of something terrible. But on the other, it was ridiculous and sweet and she made a mental note to give him a great big kiss in the morning. But instead, she settled for cracking an eye to look at him.

Gibbs put his hand on Tim's leg.

"Yeah, I can see how you'd feel like that," Gibbs said gently. "Shannon was in labor for eighteen hours with Kelly. Longest eighteen hours of my life. But you ask Delilah and I'll bet you she'll tell you it was worth every second."

She almost spoke up and told Gibbs that he was right but she didn't want to interrupt their moment.

"I know," Tim replied. "And thoughts of Paraguay went away the moment they handed her John. Her face lit up, Gibbs. It was amazing to see. Even when she started into labor with Morgan, she was smiling."

She thought back to her labor, but it was all a blur right now. She knew there had been pain since her doctor hadn't wanted to give her an epidural because of her injury. Of course, she also had only limited feeling below her hips, so an epidural wasn't exactly necessary. But there had been pain or at least really heavy pressure. It was hard to describe.

It felt as if it had taken an age for John to be born but it felt like a blink of an eye before she had been handed Morgan. She'd have to take Tim's word that she was smiling the second time around. And at least she hadn't broken his fingers like Breena.

"I don't know how she does it boss," Tim said. "I don't have a tenth of her strength."

"You're stronger than you think, Tim," Gibbs replied. "You always have been."

"I know. Which means that Delilah is an amazing woman," Tim said. "Every day she amazes me, Gibbs."

"I know what you mean," Gibbs said softly, clearly thinking of Shannon. "Do you talk to her about these dreams?" Gibbs asked.

"Hasn't been an issue lately," Tim replied honestly. "But sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't. I don't always remember the dream."

"Just the terror that comes with it," Gibbs said softly.

"Yeah," Tim said, realizing that he and his boss had the same problem. "When I tell Dee that, I don't think she believes me. It doesn't help that before I started to see Dr. Confalone I wasn't telling Dee much even though she asked."

"You were trying to protect her from the truth," Gibbs said.

"A little," Tim admitted. "But mostly, I couldn't make myself talk about what happened," Tim replied. "It was hard enough going through it once. Reliving it through the nightmares wasn't any easier. Talking about it was out of the question, especially before I started to see Dr. Confalone. I was trying to protect myself."

She closed her eyes. It had driven her crazy that Tim wouldn't talk to her. She recognized that it wasn't an easy thing to discuss but she had always assumed that Tim was trying to protect her. She hadn't considered he was trying to protect himself.

"At the time, saying I couldn't remember was an easy excuse," Tim continued. "But now when I say that, she doesn't believe me even when it's true."

"Have you told her this?" Gibbs asked.

Tim shrugged. "With everything with the baby…" Tim stopped and looked to the bassinet. "Babies," he corrected. "We've been focusing on trying to get ready. Honestly, Paraguay hasn't come up probably since my last nightmare. And that's been nice. I finally feel like things are getting back to normal."

Gibbs snorted. "After yesterday, normal has been shot to hell, McGee. There isn't anything normal once you have a kid, let alone two at once."

"Tell me about it," Tim said. "If you're looking for a metaphor, dreaming about being alone on a ship would seem to be a pretty obvious one."

"Except you aren't alone, Tim," Gibbs said. "Never were. You and Delilah are in this together." Tim nodded. "And you've got your friends." Tim nodded again. "And your family."

"And what about you?" Tim asked.

Gibbs stared at Tim. "Didn't I say you had your family?"

"Yeah but…"

"You rescinding your offer to be grandpa Gibbs?" Gibbs asked with amusment.

"Of course not," Tim said hastily. "Just wasn't sure you had accepted it," Tim said. Gibbs must have given Tim a funny look because Tim quickly retorted, "After two months together, I've gotten better at figuring out what you're trying to say without talking, Gibbs. But I still can't read your mind!"

Gibbs snorted.

"Consider it accepted," Gibbs said as he patted Tim's leg. "You might regret inviting me into your family though."

"I doubt that," Tim replied.

"Get some sleep Tim," Gibbs said.

"I'm not sure I can," Tim said, his voice suddenly uncertain.

"You can rest easy Tim," Gibbs said. "I'm not going anywhere." Tim looked at Gibbs skeptically. "I've got a pillow and a blanket. That's a step up from racking out on my basement floor."

"You sleep on your basement floor?" Tim asked incredulously. "You didn't get enough of sleeping on a steamer floor?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Been a while since I did that but I used to fall asleep working on my boat." Gibbs rubbed his neck. "Not easy to forget though, especially after sleeping on the floor of steamer for two months."

Tim snorted.

"Thanks, Gibbs," Tim said genuinely.

"Any time," Gibbs said as he got up. Tim eased back down and tried to pull the blanket back into place. But Gibbs grabbed it and tucked him in. "Night, McGee."

"Night boss," Tim replied, his voice already heavy with sleep.

Gibbs stood over Tim and watched him for a moment before he crossed the room and checked on the twins. As Gibbs turned around to look at her, she caught his eye. Gibbs smiled slightly as she silently mouthed, 'thank you.'

She looked back at her husband and once she was confident that he was sleeping, she looked back to Gibbs. She made a mental note to find a way to bring up Paraguay with Tim. They would have plenty to talk about and she had at least one apology to make.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Gibbs said softly as he made his way to her side.

"You didn't," she said as she looked at Tim. Gibbs followed her gaze and nodded. She motioned to the chair next to the bed. Once Gibbs was seated, she said, "I'm well aware of what comes next when Tim makes those noises in his sleep. Took me a while to figure out that squeezing his shoulder calms him and banishes the nightmare. Now I know why that works."

Gibbs smiled sadly and she wondered how many times Gibbs had comforted her husband during their imprisonment.

Tim had opened up after he started to see Dr. Confalone and it broke her heart to know what her husband had gone through. Systemic starvation, deprivation, and degradation had taken a toll. And then El Doctor had gone to work on them. Physical torture left them with injuries that they had to attempt to treat in their cell. But that was nothing compared to the mental torture of being forced to watch a friend in pain. Tim had admitted that even Gibbs had suffered from nightmares during their time in captivity.

Tim had explained that all it took to calm his boss had been a simple squeeze of his shoulder. That's when she knew she had a way to calm Tim's nightmares. She had never been happier and unhappier at the same time when she discovered the simple motion worked. But now that she looked at Gibbs, she wondered how he dealt with the nightmares without someone to offer him comfort.

"His talks with Dr. Confalone have really helped," she said. "He wasn't lying when he said it had been weeks since his last nightmare."

Gibbs looked at Tim and nodded. "She's good at what she does," he said. "She's helped me a lot too," Gibbs added when he saw her concern.

"I'm glad you were here to calm him before it got worse. I don't think I could have gotten there fast enough, although it is easy to get around now," she said as she motioned to her much-deflated belly. She was sore from labor but moving around was much easier now.

She looked at him questioningly.

"Stopped by to drop off Tim's badge," Gibbs replied. "He left it with his clothes when he changed into the scrubs."

She glanced at the clock. It was almost four o'clock. She wondered how late her husband had be awake…

"Came by around ten. He's been asleep since almost eleven," Gibbs answering her unasked question. "Had to force him to lay down. He wanted to keep an eye on the babies so you could get your sleep."

She smiled fondly at Tim. It was like him to want to let her get her rest, especially after hours of childbirth. And it was like him to sacrifice his own well-being for hers. Yet again, she wondered how she had gotten so lucky to have Tim in her life.

"I take it, you offered to stay a while and so he would fall asleep," she said. He nodded. "That's sweet of you Gibbs."

"I was just going to stay to keep an eye on the babies until he fell asleep but I fell asleep too," he said bashfully. "Laid down on the windowsill to stretch my legs. Was half asleep when the nurse dropped off the blanket and pillow."

She looked past him and noticed a blanket balled up at the one side and a pillow on the other. The ledge wasn't very big.

"Not the worst place I've ever fallen asleep," Gibbs replied. She immediately opened her mouth to apologize but Gibbs continued, "Woke up on the floor of my basement more than a few times after a late night working on my boat."

"You really build boats in your basement?" she asked incredulously. Gibbs nodded. "I thought Tim was joking with me." Gibbs shook his head. "How do you get them out when you're done?"

"Break the bottle," Gibbs said with a sly smile.

"That doesn't make any sense," she said but before Gibbs could reply, one of the twins began to fuss. Gibbs stood up and checked on the crying baby as she pulled herself further upright in bed. She watched anxiously as Gibbs leaned over the bassinet.

"Diaper change," Gibbs said.

"On the shelf," she said pointing under the bassinet.

Gibbs grabbed everything and brought John over to the bed. She smiled appreciatively as he lay the baby on the bed between her legs. As she changed the diaper, Gibbs handed her each item before she could ask and when she was done, he handed her a wipe to clean her hands.

"Thanks," she replied. "I can tell you've done this a time or two."

Gibbs smiled as he disposed of the dirty diaper and washed his hands.

"That's better isn't it," she said as she looked at John. She picked up John and cradled him in her arms. John immediately tried to latch onto her through the hospital gown. She frowned. Her appointment with the lactation nurse wasn't until the morning…

"The nurse dropped off two more bottles of formula to get through the night," Gibbs said. She looked at him, wondering how he knew what she was thinking. "If there's one thing I remember about newborns, they pretty much eat, sleep and soil diapers."

She held out her hand. Gibbs smiled as he picked up the bottle that was in a bottle warmer. He gave it a good shake before he held it in his hand to test the temperature. When he was satisfied that it wasn't too warm, he handed it to her.

"It's surreal," she said as she watched John eat. "Even though I was pregnant and I could feel them inside of me, it still doesn't feel real that they're here."

"That won't wear off for a while," Gibbs said as he sat down next to her.

"I used to scoff at people who said babies are a miracle but now that I've had them, I completely understand what they meant," she said. "I grew two people, Gibbs. Two tiny, beautiful, perfect people."

Gibbs chuckled.

"Yeah," he said as he smiled at her then at John. Gibbs always looked younger than his age but as he smiled at John, he looked years younger than his sixty some years of age. The stern demeanor was gone and she saw the softer side of her husband's boss. It was a nice change from the gruff demeanor she usually got to see. "You did."

"With everything going on, it feels like everything has happened so fast," she said. "I never suspected I was pregnant until I passed out. Then we find out we're having twins? A week ago, we thought there was only one baby." She smiled as she looked at Tim again. "Tim stayed up all night to put together a second crib. We don't even have room for the first one in our apartment!"

"You still haven't found a place yet?" Gibbs asked.

"No," she replied. "We have such specific needs that there isn't much to choose from. A lot of homes with the space we need are multi-level." Gibbs nodded in understanding. "We've looked at a couple places but haven't found anything we liked. It doesn't help that I didn't do much looking this summer," she said as she glanced at Gibbs. "I was busy looking for something more important. And since Tim came home, we've had other things to focus on like his recovery, both physical and mental, and preparing for the baby."

Gibbs winced.

"You've had a lot more to worry about than the average expecting mother," Gibbs said softly.

She looked at Gibbs. He was looking at Tim. Guilt was emanating from him in waves. Tim might have told him to stop feeling guilty but she knew that didn't make the guilt go away. She had lost count of how many times she told Tim to stop feeling guilty that he missed some of the baby milestones or that he had caused her to worry for two months.

"Yeah and my husband was missing for two months too," she said catching his attention. "We've been over this Gibbs. I don't blame you for what you did and you shouldn't blame yourself for Tim getting off that helicopter."

"He got off that helo because of me," Gibbs said softly. "He went through two months of hell because of me. You went through two months of hell because of me."

"And because of you," she said pointing to both Gibbs and her husband. "Three boys were saved from being forced to become murderers, a dangerous terrorist has been stopped and a terrorist organization stealing uranium has been dismantled." Gibbs frowned. "It's our job to stop bad guys, Gibbs."

"This wasn't exactly in the scope of our mission," Gibbs countered.

"Maybe not," she said as she shook her head. "But there's the scope of the mission and there's what's right," she retorted. Gibbs nodded in concession. "Did you know that Tim stood me up on our first date?" she asked.

Gibbs shook his head. "Tim never told me how you two met," Gibbs said.

"We met when I was stood up on a blind date," she said to his surprise. "But that's a different story. After we first met, we tried to get together for a real date but with our schedules it took two weeks to find a time we could meet for dinner. But when I went to the restaurant, Tim never showed and he never sent a message that he had to cancel."

"That's not like him," Gibbs said.

"At the time, I didn't know that," she said smiling fondly at the memory. "Eventually I got a cryptic message about having to go out of town for work. It was a week before Tim contacted me again. I was so angry, I almost didn't meet him when he asked."

"But you did," Gibbs said.

She looked at John and nodded. "My roommate at the time convinced me to hear him out. Turns out you and Tim had gone to Afghanistan to catch the man who had murdered a Marine dog handler." Gibbs smiled. "I never suspected he was an armed Federal Agent when we first met, but I really admired that about him. It's one of the many things that I love about Tim. He's not afraid to do the right thing even if it puts himself in danger and I've known that about him from the start."

"It's different now," Gibbs said as he looked at John.

"Actually, I think it's more important now that he continues to do his job," she said as she looked at their son. "We both want our kids to grow up in a world that's safe." She looked at Gibbs. "I'll never like that he has to put himself in danger but it's a lot easier to accept because I trust you and I trust Ellie and Nick to keep him safe."

She watched as Gibbs opened his mouth to reply but no words came out. From the slight glint in his eye, she could tell he was touched by her words.

Suddenly, Morgan began to fuss. She looked down at John. He was still eating. Then she looked at the bassinet and Tim. Tim was still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake him…

"I got this," Gibbs said with a smile.

"Thank you," she said in relief.

She watched as Gibbs quickly changed Morgan's diaper and then picked up the baby girl to sooth her. He also grabbed the bottle as he returned to the chair. Soon, Morgan was happily eating.

Suddenly Gibbs chuckled.

"This is what happened when I stopped by to talk with Tim," he said as he smiled down at the baby girl. "Only in reverse," he added as he pointed to the babies.

"We're going to have our hands full," she said a little nervously. It was hard enough as a new parent to a single baby. But they'll have twice the work, twice the problems and she felt like she didn't know anything about raising a child…

"You'll do fine," Gibbs said interrupting her before she could work herself up. "Doing pretty good right now."

"That's easy for you to say," she said with a smile. "We're still in the hospital. The hard part is once we step out those doors. Unless you want to stop over and take the three am feedings?" She looked at Gibbs. He was smiling at Morgan as she ate. "Somehow, I don't think you'd mind that."

Gibbs chuckled. "Maybe once in a while," he replied.

"You're welcome any time Gibbs," she replied. He nodded even as he focused on Morgan. "Did Tim tell you about John's middle name?"

Gibbs looked at her.

"He did," Gibbs replied. "I'm honored and my dad would be too."

"I wanted to go with Jethro but Tim knew right away you wouldn't want that," she said. "He said you'd be quick to downplay your influence."

"Tim did all the hard work," Gibbs replied.

"You just pointed him in the right direction and led by example," she countered.

Gibbs chuckled. "Tim said something similar."

"After five years, I've got a pretty good idea of how my husband thinks," she replied with a smile as John finished his bottle.

She set the bottle to the side and carefully burped her son. When she was done, she settled him onto her chest to sleep off his meal.

"And after fifteen years and two months confined together, he's got a pretty good idea of how you think," she added. "I still had to point out that you think of him as a son though just like he sees you as a father figure. He tried to deny it but he knew I was right." Gibbs smiled slightly. "But I think that's a guy thing."

"Maybe," Gibbs conceded. "Probably more complicated for him than you'd think."

"Oh, I know he's conflicted by it," she said. "He's looked up to you since he joined your team fifteen years ago and you've been such a big influence on him. And since his father is gone, he feels guilty because wanting that kind of relationship with you makes him feel like he's trying to replace his own father. But at the same time, he needs that kind of relationship."

"I guess it is as complicated as you'd think," Gibbs said with a light chuckle.

"I'm an analyst, Gibbs," she said. Gibbs nodded. "I'm sure it's just as complicated for you too. Maybe not as much as if would have been if Tim were a woman."

Gibbs smiled sadly.

"I dunno," Gibbs said slowly. "Still reminds me of the things Kelly never got to do. She never grew up and found someone who loves her as much as Tim loves you. She never got to start a family of her own."

"You never got to hold your grandchildren?" she asked. He nodded. She motioned to Morgan. "Well your grandchildren would beg to differ."

"Don't tell me you named Morgan after me too," Gibbs said, making a joke to deflect away from the emotional implication. Even in the dim light, she could see the tears threatening to form.

"Well Morgan Gibbs McGee did have a nice right to it," she said with a laugh. "But she's named after my grandmother. Morgan Mae McGee. She was my biggest influence. She was a cryptographer in the Army during World War II."

"Sounds like a smart woman," Gibbs said.

"She was," she said fondly as she thought of her grandmother. "And she never let my grandfather get away with anything." Gibbs chuckled at the parallels. "She would have liked Tim too. She would have said I won the lottery with him."

"Pretty sure Tim feels the same with you," Gibbs said. "So much so it scares him. He knows what it feels like to almost lose you."

"That feeling is mutual," she replied. She watched as Gibbs winced with guilt again. "But I know that isn't the only thing that scares him. He's scared that he's going to be like his father."

Gibbs snorted lightly. "Not gonna happen," Gibbs replied. "Yeah, he's going to screw up, every parent does. But he's not going to be like the Admiral. Not with you and not with…"

"You?" she interrupted.

Gibbs looked at her and eventually he nodded.

"I missed out on too much," Gibbs said as he looked down at Morgan. "Not just with Kelly. With my dad too. I won't let him make the same mistakes I did."

She smiled.

"Isn't that what it means to be a parent?" she asked. "I realize I'm still new to this whole mom thing but don't we try to teach our kids so they don't make the same mistakes we did?"

Gibbs shrugged lightly as he set the bottle aside and burped Morgan. When he was through, he settled her into his arms again.

"Suppose it is," Gibbs said finally. "Not sure I know how to parent a grown adult though."

"That's all right," Delilah said. "Tim doesn't know how to be an adult son either. But I'm pretty sure after everything you two have gone through over the years, you know how to work with each other. And I'd say that's a pretty good start."

"And what about you?" Gibbs asked. "Tim said your father is gone too."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "He died while my sister and I were in high school. Car accident. Mom remarried a few years ago and Gary is a great guy but…"

"He's not your dad," Gibbs finished.

"No," she replied. "But it did bring my mom, me and my sister closer together. I know I have them still. And my mother has been offering parenting advice since she found out I was pregnant. I may be glad that she and Gary moved back to Minnesota after they were certain I had recovered from my accident."

"No, you won't," Gibbs said.

She smiled. "No," she replied. "But she's only a phone call away and I wouldn't be surprised if she convinces Gary to move back once she sees these two," she said causing Gibbs to chuckle lightly.

She looked down at the sleeping baby on her chest. John had managed to get his arm free from his blanket and he was holding on tightly to her hospital gown. His eyes were closed, and he was sound asleep. And she was surprised by how natural it felt even though this was only the second time she had ever done it.

Even after being pregnant, it was still hard to think of herself as a mother. It was surreal that she was holding _her son_.

She examined his features from his tiny little fingernails to his ears and his nose. Even though he was sleeping now, she knew that John had Tim's eyes. It had been the first thing she had noticed about the baby when she held him for the first time. She hoped that John would grow up to have his father's courage, compassion and intelligence too.

Glancing over at Gibbs, she saw that the older man was looking at Morgan with a slight smile on his face.

"We're going to have a hard time convincing you to leave, aren't we?" she asked dryly. Gibbs looked at her. "Should we look for a house with an extra bedroom and a basement workshop?"

Gibbs chuckled.

"Naw," Gibbs said even though he was smiling. "You need your own space." Gibbs looked down at the baby girl. "But as long as you've got a couch, I'm good."

"Or a windowsill?" she asked.

Gibbs glanced at Tim and nodded. "You do what you need to for family."

"Can't argue with that," she replied as they looked at the children in their arms.


End file.
